Now I Know Why
by DreamShadows
Summary: They didn’t care about him, and they never had. He was the middle child, why should they give a damn about him when they had Alex and Wyatt?
1. Chapter 1

This is an AU of season six before the sisters found out about Chris' identity.

I don't own Charmed or Nickelback. I write for fun, there is no profit in it for me.

_Now I know why I hide my love from you somedays _

_No I don't mind keeping this bottled inside me_

_You came along and tore this wall down around me_

_Looks like you found me... now I know why_

_I felt like shit when I woke up this morning_

_(Nickelback - Woke Up This Morning)_

"I don't want you to ever go near Wyatt or darken this doorstep again!" Piper yelled at Chris who's green eyes were hurt one minute, and then flashed cold the next.

"Fine! It doesn't matter to me anymore. I come back in time to save your precious Wyatt, and you throw me out on the street for trying to help! What the hell do I care, you didn't give a damn about me in one timeline, why should you in the next?" Chris yelled, and when he thought that no one could hear him, he muttered, "Always liked Wyatt and Alex better out of your children anyway. Never gave a damn about me." His voice was full of hurt and he orbed out before seeing the shocked looks that filled all the sisters' faces.

"Chris is my, my son?" Piper asked, as she sat down on the couch in the attic stunned. Phoebe and Paige just stood where they had been, too stunned to move. The hurt that had filled Chris' face was enough to scar anyone, but he had been through too much during his time on this earth. At least while he was in the past, and most of that was their fault.

"LEO!" Piper screamed. She was distraught over the news of Chris, and she needed to tell Leo what she had learned, so that they could find Chris, before he did anything that would hurt him or someone else.

"Blessed be..." Leo said as he orbed in his elder's robes.

"We don't have time for that right now." Piper said as she paced. Leo could tell she was tense and worrying over something, so he went over to her.

"What's wrong Piper?" He asked and when he received no answer, he turned to Paige and Phoebe who didn't even look at him. Paige was standing in the corner of the attic, her face stunned and full of worry. Phoebe was standing over the book, he eyes unfocussed.

"Chris," Piper said, and startled Leo who was staring at her sisters. He turned to her, and she tried again, "Chris is our, well he's our..." She said, but cut off again, at a loss for words.

"He's our what, Piper?" Leo asked, getting angry that Chris had disturbed the sisters once again, and had left them looking as if the world were falling down.

"Son." She whispered. Her voice was barely audible, but Leo heard what she said, and stumbled back as if he had been shot.

Chris sat on top of the Golden Gate Bridge, thinking of what had just happened. They didn't care about him, and they never had. He was the middle child, why should they give a damn about him when they had Alex and Wyatt? He only had one good memory with his family, and that was only because Wyatt had cast a spell over them to make them be nice to him on his fourteenth birthday. It hadn't lasted though, and when it had worn off, no matter how Wyatt had tried to convince them otherwise, they had blamed him for using magic for personal gain.

He had left that day, only coming back when he heard his mother's scream for help. He had tried to save her from the demon that had killed Phoebe and Paige, but he had been too late. When he had arrived at the manor, the demon had just stabbed Piper in the heart with an athame, and when he had seen Chris had thrown the athame at him. He still had the scar on his back where it had embedded itself. He had tried to heal the sisters, and had called for Wyatt, Alex and his father.

When they had finally gotten there, Leo had yelled at him, despite the blood that was seeping out of the wound on his back. Wyatt and Alex had tried to get to him, but their father had held them back, and just before he had lapsed into unconsciousness, he had orbed the only place he felt safe. Grandpa's.

He had blocked everyone from sensing him that day, and his grandfather had taken care of him, getting him a doctor when he needed one, and letting no one know that he was there. He had gone to his grandfather for everything. Well his grandfather, and his Aunt Prue. He had first summoned his Aunt Prue by an accident at the age of seven.

They had gotten to know each other, and every time that Chris was hurting, mentally, physically, or emotionally, he would summon Prue. But she wasn't here now, and he couldn't summon her, because she was still not allowed to enter this time, because the sisters weren't ready for her presence yet, and Chris really needed her right now.

Chris let out a yell, and magic reverberated around him, shaking the bridge. The winds picked up, and blew at his hair, and clothes. Lightning echoed over the water, and Chris felt the power flow through him. All the pain, all the hate, all the sadness, all the lies... He let it all go, and watched with blurring vision as a tornado picked up on the water.

He fell backwards, but never hit the ground. His vision danced with black spots, as he looked up at the person, make that two people that were holding him. "Wy, Alex?" He asked as all his strength left him, and he went limp.

Alex London Halliwell raised his hands, and released the power of the tornado, making the funnel fade away. He looked down at Chris' pale form, and sighed. The energy that he had just released could have killed him. Wyatt and Alex had felt Chris' pain through time, and had come back to help him.

Alex hadn't seen Chris since the day he had left for the past, and he hadn't seen Wyatt since before he had taken over the Underworld. For some reason they had both felt their brother's pain, and had come back in time to see what they could do.

Alex could see the change in Wyatt since Chris had come back. His brother was the loving brother that he had been when they were kids. Chris had saved him, and Leo had been acting differently lately too. He had been asking about Chris and how he was, generally concerned for him, when he usually blamed Chris for every bad thing that went on in the world.

He heard a gasp from Wyatt and looked down at his oldest brother. Wyatt was looking at something on Chris' arm, and Alex knelt down to get a better look. Alex had to stifle his own gasp when he saw Chris' arm. There were cut marks lining it, and big gashes that were scarred over right on his wrists. Chris had tried to kill himself to get away from the pain!

White lights started to surround Chris' body, and Wyatt and Alex each grabbed an arm. They were taken along with Chris to the attic manor. The sisters and Leo were around them, and Alex and Wyatt immediately stepped in front of Chris to protect him from them.

Chris started to move and groaned. Alex looked to him, and knelt down next to him. Wyatt did the same, and they ignored the questions that were coming at them as they tended to Chris. When Leo and Piper tried to attack them, Wyatt put his shield up, and that was all the clue Piper needed.

"Wyatt?" She asked, looking at him as if he had two heads.

"Yes mother." He said, his tone cold. She shivered and took a step back from them.

"Who are you?" She asked Alex.

"Alex London Halliwell." Alex said as if he were stating the obvious, not even sparing them a second glance.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you guys for your support, and I know I am dwelling on a touchy subject in this story, so if you can't handle thoughts and attempts at suicide, then you might not want to read.

_

* * *

_

_I can't remember  
The last time you cared about anything  
The last time you allowed yourself to be seen  
So pretentious your lies unrelenting disguise  
Creating tears in your eyes you mind withers and dies  
(Hollowman - Trapt)_

Alex was a tall man, as tall as Chris. He had a mixture of his brothers' traits. His hair was curly and brown, cut just above his ears, and his eyes were a stunning blue-green. He had a strong jaw, and a strong build. Piper noticed all of this as she stared at what had to be her youngest son, as Chris had accidentally mentioned earlier.

Chris opened his eyes, and found himself staring into the face of Alex, and Wyatt. He flinched and tried to move back away from Wyatt, not knowing that the man had changed.

"Chris, it's okay, you saved him. Wyatt is the same as when we were growing up." Alex cooed, stroking Chris' hair back away from his pale face. Chris seemed to take this information in slowly, and finally looked up into Wyatt's eyes, and relaxed. Wyatt laughed, and pulled his brother into a hug.

"Never figured you for a chick flick moment kind of guy." Chris said weakly. Wyatt noticed how weak he sounded, and how thin he felt in his arms.

"Chris." He scolded, and felt it as his brother flinched in his arms from harsh tone. "I won't hurt you." He said softly, and felt Chris relax a little in his arms. "But you're hurting yourself. How long has it been since you slept or ate?" Wyatt asked as he pulled away.

"I would like to know that too, and why you didn't tell us who you were." Piper said, coming as close as she could with Wyatt's shield still in place.

"I don't remember the last time I ate, three, maybe four days ago." Chris said, regarding Wyatt's question, and then sat up and looked at his mother. No not his mother, not yet; he reminded himself.

"I figured that if you didn't care in one timeline you wouldn't care in this one either." Chris said quietly, and slumped in on himself.

"What do you mean we didn't care? You're our son, we had to have cared." Piper said quietly.

The statement angered Chris, and he got to his feet, ignoring the feeling of dizziness that came over him, and the protests of his brothers. "Well you didn't! You blamed everything that went wrong in the world on me! Wyatt and Alex could do no wrong, but me, I could do no right!" Chris yelled, and took a deep breath before orbing out; leaving a stunned family in his wake.

Chris orbed to the kitchen and grabbed a small knife from the drawer before he orbed out, and to the park where he had met Bianca.

* * *

"Did we really do that to him?" Piper asked Alex and Wyatt. 

"Yeah, and the only time I remember you being nice to him was on his fourteenth birthday. I had cast a spell, and well I might as well show you what happened." Wyatt said quietly, and then said;

"_Let those who don't know  
__See what they have done  
__To the outcast son."_

The minds of everyone in the room connected and images appeared in front of them.

* * *

"_I can't believe you would do that Christopher!" Leo yelled out at a fourteen year old version of Chris who was cowering before him, his hand on his cheek where Leo had struck him._

"_I swear I didn't do it!" Chris sobbed, and Wyatt walked into the room followed by Alex._

"_Then who did do it?" Leo snarled at Chris, and when he didn't answer, Leo laughed. "You see, you can't even keep your lies straight!" He yelled, and raised to strike Chris again, who cowered back. _

_His hand was caught in mid air though, and he turned to face an angry Wyatt. "I did it, he deserved a day of happiness!" Wyatt yelled._

"_I know you are trying to help your brother out Wyatt, and that's very nice of you, but you don't have to lie for him." Leo said, and Wyatt's anger rose. Chris had heard what Leo had said, and had orbed out to the bridge, tears streaming down his cheeks. _

_He sat on the bridge for hours, determined not to go back to the manor. No one cared about him there, with the exception of Wyatt and Alex. His aunts always forgot about him; and his mother never bothered with him anymore, thinking he was the source of every wrong in the world. His father hated him to the point of hitting him._

_It was only when he heard his mother's screams in his head that he went back to the manner. He orbed in just as the demon holding his mother had stabbed his mother in the heart. The demon turned and looked at him. Without any thought it threw the athame at him, and Chris was too slow to get away, and it embedded itself in his back._

_Chris had summoned another athame and had thrown it at the demon, hitting it in the heart, and watched as if went up in flames. He had then crawled to his mother, and had put his hands over her chest. The healing glow had come, but it had been too late. She was dead. _

_He had worn his voice out, yelling for Alex, Wyatt and his father. He had tried healing Paige and Phoebe, and had healed Phoebe a little bit, but his strength had given out, and he had lapsed unconscious before healing her enough to let her survive. _

_It was hours later when he had been roughly shaken awake, and he looked up to see his father standing over him, Wyatt and Alex in the background. "You killed them!" He screamed at Chris._

"_No, I tried to save them." His voice was no more than a hoarse whisper, and Wyatt and Alex tried to push past their dad to get to him, and heal him, but Leo had held them back. _

"_Don't you ever stop lying?" His father had yelled, and Chris let a tear slip down his cheek before he had orbed out to his grandfather's. _

"_I don't ever want you to come near this house again!" Wyatt yelled at his father as he watched his brother orb out. "He tried to save them, and he's dying; yet you accuse him of lying!" He yelled. "You have NEVER treated him like he was your son. You BLAME him for everything, and it stops now!" Wyatt yelled and with a wave of his hand had orbed Leo out. He muttered a spell that would keep him out of the manor, and then went to search for his brother.

* * *

_

The vision ended, and everyone except Alex and Wyatt stood there in shock."You never treated him as if he were family, you either ignored him, or you blamed him for all the wrongs in the world. It wasn't fair that he had the biggest heart in the world and was willing to forgive you for everything, and you blamed him for things that weren't his fault." Alex said, and Wyatt nodded.

"After the way he had been treated by everyone, I didn't know why he would have wanted to come to the past and try to save everyone. They never did anything for him." Wyatt said quietly, and kept trying to sense for Chris.

* * *

Chris orbed to an abandoned warehouse on the other side of town, and blocked everyone that he could from sensing him. He took the knife from his pocket that he had grabbed in the manor, and rolled up his sleave. The marks that lined his arm was enough to show what he felt. 

He brought the knife down on his wrist and pressed hard. The skin parted under the pressure, and Chris watched as his blood flowed from the wound. He did the same to his other arm, and then set the knife down. He closed his eyes and laid back, thinking about everything that had happened in his life.

He felt himself getting lighter and lighter, as if he were floating, but he knew his body wasn't moving. He knew that what he was doing was for the best, that everyone would be happier without him in their lives, and he smiled knowing that he was doing at least one thing right, or so he thought.

He didn't know how long he laid there, but when he felt the darkness tugging at him, he willingly went into it. He didn't feel like fighting anymore, there was nothing left to fight for.

* * *

Wyatt finally felt the weak presence of his brother, and knew that the only reason he could sense him, could not be a good one. He looked over to the sisters, and said, "Make a power binding potion. I think we may have to take him to the hospital, and we can't let him leave there." Wyatt said, and Phoebe and Paige followed his instructions immediately, but Piper walked over to him, a curious expression on her face.

"Why wouldn't you be able to heal him?" She asked him, and he looked up at her, his eyes filled with sorrow.

"We can't heal self inflicted wounds." Was the only thing he said before turning away from her. Piper gasped, and tears ran down her cheeks.

"We have a power binding spell." Phoebe and Paige said, and Wyatt nodded.

"We have to leave now." Alex said, and took his mother's hand. while Paige and Phoebe took Wyatt's. They orbed to an old warehouse, and Piper gasped when she saw her son lying on the ground, a knife by his side, and his wrists slit.

"Say the spell now!" Wyatt said, and Piper, Paige and Phoebe all joined hands, together they recited;

_"Son of the Charmed one,  
Be rid of the powers given to thee,  
Take your powers and bind them deep,  
Forever for your soul to keep."_

There was a bright white glow, as Chris' powers were bound, and Wyatt went over to him along with Alex. He took off his shirt, leaving him in a white wife beater, and tied strips of the fabric around Chris' wrists, trying to stop the blood flow. Each taking a hand, Alex and Wyatt orbed to the back entrance of the hospital.

Theycarried Chris in, shouting for help, and he was whisked down the hall in a stretcher by two doctors. Seeing the way that Chris' wrists were cut, he was sedated, and his wrists were stitched and bandaged. He was then placed in a hospital bed in the psyche ward and restrained.

When Alex, Wyatt, Piper, Paige, and Phoebe walked in, they found him uncoscious, and restrained to the bed; and Piper let out an anguished sob. Wyatt hugged her, and looked on as Chris lay there unmoving. There were two IV's in his arm. One for a blood transfusion, and the other one pumping a sedative into him, so that he couldn't harm himself any further.

* * *

A/N: Tell me what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Chris woke to the sight of white walls surrounding him, and the well known sterile smell, that spelled out, H-O-S-P-I-T-A-L. He knew that Wyatt and Alex had found him, he had felt their presence, but he had hoped they would have been too late to do anything for him, since he knew that neither of them could heal self inflicted wounds.

When he went to scratch his forehead, he finally noticed that his wrists and legs were immobile, and looked down. _Restraints._ He had been in a mental hospital enough times to know that was where he was now. The sights, smells and attire of the whole thing, didn't leave a lot of room for guessing.

Figuring that he could just use his magic to get out of the restraints that held him captive, Chris searched deep within himself, but panicked when he couldn't feel the familiar glow of energy anywhere.

They had bound his powers… He couldn't believe they had bound his powers; they had done that before, and knew what happened when his powers were bound. He could fight the binding, and had done it before, but it took a lot out of him and a lot out of the people around him. He could use the energy of the people around him, to break through the barrier, but it also caused destruction in his immediate vicinity.

Chris was like a ticking time bomb… If his powers were held dormant for too long, the energy would rise in level, and when it reached its peak, it blew. Sometimes it would take Chris out of commission for a long time, and he had been told that it could kill him, and other times, it took out Chris, and anything within a hundred feet of him.

Chris had had his powers bound twice before, and both times it had left him on the verge of death, but Alex and Wyatt hadn't known about any of this. They had both been gone the other two times it had happened, and the second time Chris had lost control of his powers, it had almost killed Bianca, the power of the blast sending her flying, right into a mirror, breaking the mirror and sending a large piece of glass through her back.

Chris hadn't been able to help her at the time, being severely injured and on the verge of death himself, all he could do was just lie there and listen to her struggle for breath, until the members of the Resistance had come and gotten them both. Bianca had been healed by a whitelighter the same day, and she was just fine.

Chris on the other hand had been in the medical wing of the Resistance headquarters for over a month, battling a raging fever, and the power drainage from the breaking of his bindings. He had almost died on several occasions, the toughest one of the fights, being an outbreak of Wiccan Pneumonia, which added to his already deplorable state had left him on the verge of death for almost two and half weeks of the time he had spent in the medical wing.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Chris looked up to see Wyatt and Alex standing at the door, looking at him with a mixture of pity, concern, anger, and sheer joy on their faces. Chris didn't feel the normal hatred or fear of them, and faced them without blinking.

"You two have no idea what you have done," Chris said, his voice low, and Alex actually flinched back from his older brother.

"What do you mean, _what we have done?"_ Wyatt asked, his voice deadly low in the small room, and Chris had to fight the urge not to shrink away from him.

"It was meant just as I asked. What have you done?" Chris' voice was menacing, and when his brother still looked at him quizzically, Chris clarified what he meant. "You bound my powers." He stated bluntly, and Wyatt nodded, opening his mouth with an explanation, but Chris firmly shot it down.

"You have no idea the amount of damage you could have inadvertently caused when you did that." Wyatt looked truly lost on Chris' logic. "When my powers are bound they fight against it. Two other people have bound my powers before and each time there have been really bad consequences to their actions.

"It can kill others and me when my powers are bound. It seems that they don't like to be kept in, and usually explode when they are bound. The second time my powers were bound they literally caused an explosion that nearly killed Bianca and me. The elders didn't think I would make it, because I spent a month in the medical wing of the Resistance headquarters, with a fever because of the power drain."

"What do you mean you explode?" Wyatt asked, even as he walked closer to his bound brother.

Chris could feel the magical energy rising up within him, and knew that if his powers weren't unbound fast, he was going to put on a spectacular show. He had felt this way when he had almost killed Bianca, but there was something different about this time, the energy felt stronger, as if the blast was going to be a lot bigger, and Chris didn't want to hurt anyone.

"I mean," Chris answered, trying to ignore the pain that was starting to sporadically pound behind his temples. "That if this power binding spell is not lifted really soon, people are going to die. The energy is getting higher and it feels stronger than it was before. I think this blast is going to take out the whole hospital, Wyatt." Chris whispered, the pain getting to be too much for him to bear.

Wyatt noticed the pain that Chris was in, and through a telepathic link that all three brothers shared, he knew that Chris wasn't lying to him about what had happened, he could actually see in vivid detail what had happened before, right down to the time that Chris had spent in the medical wing.

Wyatt ran towards his brother and grabbed his arm, waiting for the familiar shimmer of bright blue lights to engulf them. He brought them to a familiar clearing in the woods that Alex, Chris and Wyatt had often spent time in when they were growing up. A moment later another set of orbs arrived in the clearing, and Alex was standing next to his brothers.

Chris opened his eyes, feeling the pain intensify in his head, to warn Wyatt that he was going to blow soon. He caught sight of Alex and was relieved to see the younger man there; he was also relieved that Alex hadn't brought any of the family along with him. He could deal with Alex and Wyatt being close to him for the moment, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to see the rest of the family right now.

Chris' relief soon turned into worry when he thought about the blast of power he was going to be sending off, he knew that Wyatt had a force filed, but Alex didn't and he didn't want anyone else to be hurt because of him.

The thought was cut short as a spiking pain shot through him, and he gasped, trying to hold back screams as more and more spasms of pain shot through him. This hadn't happened when he had been with Bianca, this was going to be much worse than it had been before, and he wasn't sure that either of his brothers would make it through this, hell he wasn't even sure that he would make it through this, but he also didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing at the moment.

With a last ditch effort to save the ones he loved, Chris prayed that his powers would work, and waved his hand towards his brothers, and was rewarded when orbs shimmered over them, and they both disappeared. Chris smiled at his fortune, but let out an ear piercing scream in the next moment, as pain worse then before racked his body, sending him into convulsions.

XXXXXXX

Wyatt and Alex arrived in the manor's attic, in a swirl of blue orbs; surrounded by their aunts, mother and father. They were about to orb back to Chris, but the telepathic link opened between all three brothers and the pain that carried through it sent them both to their knees, grasping at their heads.

Images filled their minds, of Chris convulsing in the clearing that meant so much to all of them. Flashes of heat, it felt as if Chris' skin was burning off, and the pain was so intense!

XXXXXXX

Chris writhed and convulsed on the ground, feeling the magical energy try to fight its way out of him and the binding that held it in. He screamed until his throat was raw, and then screamed again. Blood bubbled in his mouth, as the convulsions strengthened, sending his body into the air, as white light erupted from his writhing form. Chris threw his head back, and though no sound came from his throat, his mouth opened in a silent scream; as blinding light erupted from him.

A shock wave was sent out, with him being the origin. With the last of his strength, Chris pulled a shield from deep within him, and held the contents of the power surge within the boundaries of the shield. Darkness engulfed him as the light and energy finally went out.

XXXXXXX

Wyatt and Alex both screamed as the wave of energy erupted from Chris, and then all of the sudden, there was nothing coming through the link. There was no pain, no emotion, but more importantly there was no sign of _life._

"Chris" Both Alex and Wyatt said at the same time. They looked at each other and then at the rest of their family, and orbed to where Chris had been, praying that Paige and Leo would orb the others behind them.

When all of the orbs ceased in the familiar clearing of forest, gasps were heard from everyone. The clearing that used to hold such life, and beauty was now a lifeless crater. In the middle of that crater lay a silent, still and much too pale Chris. He didn't even look alive…

XXXXXX

A/N: I am so sorry that this story took so long to update, but when I was going to start writing a new chapter, I kind of broke my hand, and forgot... Runs behind Chris, Wyatt, and Alex and hides.

But see I did update, and I even left a cliffie, which means that I have to update this story soon, or my muses will drive me insane... wait sorry already there, I mean they will wage war... Against the voices in my head... So yeah updates will be sooner this time.

Thanks for all the support.

Take Care

OSS

P.S. The more reviews the quicker the updates. _hint... hint..._ Press the little purple button and I won't send my muses after you, and you can find out sooner if Chris lives or dies.


	4. Chapter 4

Okay, so you can't get mad, because even though I said I would update soon, and I didn't write for a few weeks, that is fast for me... I mean it took me over ten months for the other update, so be happy!

XXXXX

Alex and Wyatt ran to their fallen brother, and dropped to their knees beside his still figure. His skin was a shade of white that should never be seen on a human being, and his lips were tinted blue. Blood ran from the corner of his mouth, and when Alex checked, Chris was breathing, but it was a wet gurgling sound that sent a shiver of apprehension through him.

Both brothers immediately placed their hands over the still form of their brother, and prayed desperately for the golden glow to come from them. The light was weak when it did come, and any healing it did was minimal. After another moment, another healing glow joined the two, and Alex and Wyatt looked up to see their father concentrating his Elder powers on healing his middle son.

The light got stronger, but Chris still wasn't healing as much as the three would have liked. While the blue tint of his lips was gone, Chris was still too pale, and his breathing was still too shallow and wet sounding. When the glow finally died, Chris had been healed a little bit, but he was still way too pale, and a thin sheen of sweat coated his body.

When Wyatt felt his little brothers forehead, he was stunned at the heat radiating off of it. "We need to get him to Magic School, quickly." Leo said quietly, and when Alex and Wyatt looked at him with questioning expressions, he added, "There is a medical wing where he can be taken care of there, the Elders working there can help him more than a regular hospital can." Alex and Wyatt nodded, and suddenly there were three more presences standing behind the men.

"What can we do to help?" Piper asked quietly, as she sat down and pulled Chris' head into her lap, gently stroking the sweat dampened hair. Chris immediately relaxed even more into her hold, if that was even possible.

"There is nothing we can do right now, any of us. It's up to Chris to fight now. But we really do need to get him to the Magic School medical wing, the sooner the better." Leo said softly. Piper nodded and reached out her hand to Leo, who clasped it, and then laid a hand on Chris' shoulder, orbing all three of them to Magic School, Wyatt and Alex following their orbing trail closely behind.

When Leo, Chris, Piper, Wyatt, and Alex reformed, an Elder immediately came to them, to find out what had happened, and why they were in need of assistance. Leo told them what had happened and the woman got right to work.

Chris was moved to a bed, after having been stripped to just his boxers. Monitors were attached to his chest, and an IV appeared already hooked into his arm, pumping a golden translucent liquid into his veins. After the blood had been removed from his throat, a tube had been pushed down his throat to ease the pressure on his damaged lungs.

Through everything Chris had never moved, or even made any gesture to indicate that he had any idea what was happening around him. That fact alone scared Wyatt and Alex more than anything else had, because even in his memories of this happening before, Chris had reacted to stimuli, and this complete stillness scared the brothers.

Piper took her place beside Chris, holding his hand and gently stroking his damp hair. Seeing her son like this scared her. Even if she hadn't known who he was before, she had always secretly admired the man before her. His determination, and strength had made him a formidable enemy, and a powerful ally. Now he just lye before her so still, and weak; and it scared her to death that she might lose him before she really got to know him.

XXXXXXXXX

**Three Days Later**

Chris had lain inert on the bed for the past few days, his temperature had been fluctuating between 103 and 106, but other than that his condition hadn't changed. Alex, Wyatt, Piper, Leo, Phoebe, and Paige had all taken turns sitting by his side, making sure he was never alone.

Now three days after first having his magical overload, Chris had shown his first sign of life, when Wyatt and Alex had been sitting by his side. Wyatt and Alex had been talking, making sure to include Chris, though he couldn't respond, in the conversation. Their current topic of gossip being the girlfriends they had over the years.

"Do you remember when Chris first met Bianca when he was fourteen?" Wyatt asked and Alex burst out laughing.

"His first crush... Remember he thought he was in love the first time, she laid him out flat on his back when he grabbed her wrist? Man she looked pissed, and Chris looked love struck." The brothers laughed again, remembering that day clearly.

_FLASHBACK_

"_Bianca, hey wait!" Chris yelled, as she brushed past him, her anger clear on her face._

_Chris grabbed her wrist, attempting to stop her. He didn't even know what hit him. One second he had a hold of her wrist, trying to stop her from walking away; and the next he was looking up at her from the floor, as she gripped his throat. He gasped, as he looked up into her eyes, stunned at what she had just done, and by how beautiful she was when she was pissed. _

_Bianca's eyes immediately widened at what she had done, and she backed up, offering her hand to Chris, to help him up off his spot on the floor. Chris took her hand, his other hand going defensively to his throat, but he still looked at her in awe, clearly struck at what she had done, and by her beauty. _

_End Flashback..._

"You didn't do much better with Trisha and you know it." A scratchy voice came from the bed, and both Wyatt and Alex jumped, Alex letting out an undignified screech that sent Wyatt into a laughing fit, and Chris smirked, not even opening his eyes. "Very manly Alex." His voice held no real emotion, but the smirk on his lips was enough to send Wyatt laughing again.

"Shut it Trishy!" Alex growled, and Wyatt blanched at the old nickname.

"Now why did you have to go and remind him about that?" Wyatt wined as he stood up to check over his brother, telling Alex to tell everyone that Chris was awake.

"Hey you brought up Bianca, and let's face it, I can't make any cracks at Alex, because he really doesn't have a love life to make fun of." At this both brothers snickered.

"Hey!" A voice called from the doorway, "I do so have a love life, just because I don't tell you guys everything, doesn't mean it doesn't happen!" Alex sulked, and Wyatt perked up a little about the opportunity to make fun of his youngest brother.

"Really? You're going out with someone?" Wyatt asked.

Alex looked away, actually blushing, and now both his brothers were looking at him expectantly. "You remember Sophie, the girl I work with, and have liked forever?" When Chris and Wyatt nodded, Chris albeit tiredly, Alex continued. "Well I finally got the courage to ask her out a few weeks ago, and she said yes. Though she did gripe about me taking long enough to ask her." Alex said, and received applause from his two older brothers.

"Way to go Alex!" Wyatt said, and Alex's cheeks reddened.

"Yeah, well... Thanks?" Alex finally answered after a minute's hesitation.

Piper, Paige, Phoebe, and Leo showed up in the doorway, looking in at Chris as the three brothers talked amongst themselves, looking for all the world as if they were the closest family in the world.

It was in that moment that everyone in the room finally figured out why Chris had gone to so much trouble to come to the past, and run himself ragged, looking for any and all demons that could do harm to his family. He had come back not just to save the world from Wyatt's evil...

Chris had come back to save himself, and piece his family back together, for times just like they were sharing now.

END.

XXXXX

A/N: I know the ending came from out of nowhere, but it just seemed right. Justified, yah know?

Well tell me what you think... I love your reviews, and I take pride in following any advice a reader might have for me, I also take pride in the fact that so many people think my writing is good enough to read and comment on...

Thank you all for all of your support, and your kind words, even though I was slow to update, and made some mistakes that made me look completely stupid. I also appreciate the fact that so many people were kind enough to stick with me and this story, even though with work and school, the updates took a lot longer than expected.

Thank you all and take care of yourselves...

Ciao...

OSS


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